5G and 6G networks will empower emergency responders and smart city projects, researchers say

While 5G and 6G networks could help first responders and smart city projects with new capabilities such as more reliable communications, faster data transfer and intelligent edge computing, they could also bring new threats, according to a federal report.

To help public sector officials understand the impact of 5G, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate recently completed an in-depth study of the technology being deployed.

“Organizations must balance the adoption of these capabilities with the risks and uncertainties of both technologies,” said Mark Fry, senior technology scout at S&T.

Global deployments of 5G began in 2019, promising faster, more resilient data transmission. The new network protocol will enable new technologies like driverless cars and autonomous delivery robots, while Homeland Security missions will see advances in sensor networks and autonomous systems, the researchers wrote. For state and local governments, the rollout will give first responders new tools like priority networks, geolocation and search-and-rescue drones.

5G's ability to support more sensors and IoT devices can better collect, process and analyze large amounts of data in real time, the report said. With widespread 5G adoption, government surveillance teams could deploy more cameras along the U.S. border, use real-time tracking to detect smuggling more quickly, or respond to rescue beacons from migrants in distress.

However, 5G also increases the risk of introducing untrusted or counterfeit components, giving malicious actors the opportunity to exploit valuable information and intelligence. End-user systems, such as government computers, phones, and other devices, could be compromised as a result.

6G deployment is scheduled to begin in 2030, but over time, state and local entities will move toward a fully digitized and connected environment, the report said. These improvements will increase network efficiency, allow for optimization through artificial intelligence and powerful edge computing, provide faster service in remote locations, and dynamically respond to network demands through cloud-hosted networks.

For autonomous vehicles, 6G’s wider bandwidth capabilities could improve smart transportation with better real-time information. Connected vehicles could be equipped with radars that allow them to sense the location of surrounding objects and detect potential obstacles. This information would be uploaded via wireless connections to a central network that can guide vehicle driving. Wider smart transportation systems such as traffic pattern tracking will also have use cases for first responder operations.

However, S&T noted that legacy security gaps need to be addressed before secure 6G deployments can be rolled out, as more devices can introduce a larger attack surface in the system architecture for cybercriminals to exploit.